economidy@worldnet.att.net (John M. Economidy) sent this comment:

Bald Eagles (BE) certainly nest in Texas. At the nadir of the DDT disaster, Texas had but 4 active BE nests in 1974 and 2 of the 4 nests fledged but 2 eaglets. Since abolition of DDT in Texas, the Bald Eagle has made a remarkable natural recovery in Texas without a reintroduction hacking program within the State.

By 1976, 7 nests were active. By 1981, active nests jumped to 13. By 1987, active nests were at 20. Except for two occasions (1992 and 1993 [37nests] and 1994 and 1995 [40 nests] when the number of active nests remained the same, active BE nests have increased each year since 1987.

In CY 1997, Texas had 49 BE nests; 34 of these nests fledged eaglets; and 52 eaglets were fledged from these 34 nests. Texas in CY 1997 had 56 BE nesting territories.

Most nesting territories are along rivers that feed into the Gulf of Mexico. A number of nesting territories are on the Sabine River where Texas borders with Louisiana.

Banding (ringing) has produced some interesting observations. A BE hacked in Oklahoma nested in Matagorda County, Texas. A Bald Eagle born in Matagorda County, Texas, however, took up residence and then nested in Arizona. Like most Texas BEs, the transplant to Arizona had a preference for coots as prey.